Hinge, and opening/closing type portable terminal device having the same

ABSTRACT

In an opening/closing type portable terminal device having first and second box members that can be opened and closed and turned through a hinge, an object of the invention is to miniaturize the hinge and the device. A second turnable shaft ( 123 ) crosses a first turnable shaft ( 122 ) to turn together and is turnable with respect to the first turnable shaft ( 122 ). First and second guide members ( 126, 127 ) for controlling the turning angle of the second turnable shaft ( 123 ) are installed within the first turnable shaft ( 122 ). At a position across the first and second box members ( 101   a   , 101   b ), a flexible substrate ( 140 ) is interposed between the first turnable shat ( 122 ) and a first turnable shaft bearing ( 133 ) and is formed at one end thereof with a first winding ( 154   a ) to be wound on the outer periphery of the first turnable shaft bearing ( 133 ) and is turned together with the first turnable shaft ( 122 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a hinge and a configuration of a hingeportion in an opening/closing mobile information terminal device.

BACKGROUND ART

The folding mobile information terminal device in which two housings arecoupled together by hinge portions and are constructed foldably iswidely used. As the conventional device in which one housing isconstructed to further turn in other directions in this folding mobileinformation terminal device, there is the device disclosed inJP-A-2001-251406, for example. The mobile information terminal deviceincludes an inputting portion for inputting information, a displayingportion for monitoring an operation state and displaying received data,a controlling portion for controlling the inputting portion and thedisplaying portion, and a housing, wherein the inputting portion has afirst inputting portion with numeric keys and a second inputting portionwith function keys, the housing is divided in a first housing containingthe second inputting portion and a second containing the displayingportion and the second inputting portion and both first and secondhousings are coupled together by hinge portions, and the first housingand the second housing are foldably and turnably coupled together by thehinge portions.

As the hinge mechanism for realizing such hinge portions, there is themechanism disclosed in JP-A-2000-240636 and shown in FIGS. 22(A) and(B), for example. FIGS. 22(A) and (B) are a plan view and a side view ofthe hinge mechanism in the prior art. As shown in FIG. 22(A), the hingeportion is constructed to include an opening/closing shaft 202 supportedturnably to an opening/closing shaft supporting portion 201, a turningshaft 203 rotatably passed through the opening/closing shaft 202 intheir orthogonally intersecting state, an angle restricting piece 204provided to come into contact with the opening/closing shaft supportingportion 201 and the opening/closing shaft 202 respectively, arestricting flange 205 provided to protrude from the turning shaft 203,and a turning restricting portion 206 fitted to the opening/closingshaft supporting portion 201 to face to the restricting flange 205. Inthe case where this hinge mechanism is applied to the above foldingmobile information terminal device, as shown in FIG. 22(B), a size ofthe hinge portion formed by the turning shaft is decided by a distance Rbetween a top end of the angle restricting piece 204, which is operatedtogether with the turn of the turning shaft, and a center of the turningshaft.

Also, in JP-A-6-311216, the mobile phone in which a first housingcomposed of a first front housing and a first rear cover and a secondhousing composed of a second front housing and a second rear cover areturnably hinged together, a circular arc-like first curved-surfaceportion provided to an end portion of the first front housing and acircular arc-like second curved-surface portion provided to an endportion of the first rear cover are engaged with each other, an almostcylindrical first cavity portion that is communicated with an inside ofthe first housing is constructed at an end portion of the first housingand an almost cylindrical second cavity portion that is communicatedwith an inside of the second housing is constructed at an end portion ofthe second housing, the first cavity portion and the second cavityportion are arranged adjacently on the same shaft, and a flexibleprinted board for connecting an electric circuit in the first housingand an electric circuit in the second housing is wound helically alonginner diameters of the first cavity portion and the second cavityportion to pass therethrough and also a cable provided to stretch overboth housings is extended in a diameter of the helically-wound flexibleprinted board is disclosed.

However, when the conventional hinge mechanism is applied to the mobilephone having the above folding structure, an outer diameter of the hingeportion is enlarged to thus bring about an increase in size of themobile phone. A size of the hinge portion is decided by a diameter ofthe opening/closing shaft and a radius of turn of the angle restrictingpiece provided to the end of the turning shaft. This radius of turncorresponds to the above distance R. Therefore, the configuration inwhich the angle restricting piece is provided to the end of the turningshaft brings out an increase of the radius of turn and as a result thehinge portion is increased in size. Also, since the mobile phone havingthe above folding structure has the structure that generates a bendingstress and a torsional stress in the flexible printed board according tothe folding operation, it is possible that conductor portions (circuitpatterns) of the flexible printed board are disconnected. This problemwill be explained concretely with reference to the drawing hereunder.

FIGS. 23(A) and (B) are a plan view of a flexible printed board throughwhich a hinge portion in the prior art is passed. A flexible printedboard 300 is wound and housed in the hinge portion to be connected toconnectors that are provided to not-shown first and second housingsrespectively. In FIG. 23(A), in the case where the first and secondhousings are folded, one end of the board is indicated by a chaindouble-dashed line when the housings are folded until the state that atorsion angle P of the flexible printed board 300 that is woundclockwise from the lower side to the upper side is not changed.

However, since positions in which both ends of the flexible printedboard 300 are fixed to the first and second housings (the lateraldirection) are not changed, the torsion angle P is changed into analmost P/2 when the board is folded from the opened state. In otherwords, in this structure, the bending stress and the torsional stressare applied to the flexible printed board by the folding operation.Normally the flexible printed board has flexibility and has the enoughstrength to withstand the bending stress, but the disconnection or thebreakage is caused if various stresses are applied compositely.

As a result, the mobile phone having the conventional folding structureis the structure that failures such as the disconnection or the breakageof the flexible printed board, etc. readily occur when the foldingoperation is repeated. Thus, there exists the problem such that theincrease in size of the device is brought about or it is possible tocause the failures.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in light of the above problems andfirst it is an object of the present invention to provide a hingecapable of reducing a radius of turn on a turning shaft and achieving areduction in size, and an opening/closing mobile terminal deviceequipped with this hinge. Also, second it is another object of thepresent invention to provide a hinge capable of realizing a hingeportion in which no torsional stress is generated in a flexible printedboard provided therein and achieving a reduction in size, and anopening/closing mobile terminal device equipped with this hinge.

A hinge according to the first configuration of the present inventioncomprises a first turning member that is able to turn; a second turningmember intersected with the first turning member to turn together andprovided turnably to the first turning member; and a turning restrictingmeans for restricting a turning angle or a turning direction of thesecond turning member; wherein the turning restricting means is arrangedin vicinity of a center axis of a turning shaft of the first turningmember.

According to this configuration, increase in size of the hinge causeddue to the turning restricting means can be avoided, and reduction in aradius of turn of the first turning member can be achieved.

In the hinge according to the second configuration of the presentinvention, in the first configuration, the turning restricting means isconstructed by a cam member provided to turn together with the secondturning member, and a guiding member provided adjacent to the cammember, and a contact portion that comes into contact with the cammember when the second turning member is turned in a state that thefirst turning member is in a first predetermined position, and a contactavoiding portion that avoids a contact with the cam member when thesecond turning member is turned in a state that the first turning memberis in a second predetermined position are provided to the guidingmember.

According to this configuration, since the cam member that is turnedtogether with the second turning member can be brought into contact withthe contact portion when the first turning member is in the firstpredetermined position, the turn of the second turning member can besuppressed. Also, since the cam member that is turned together with thesecond turning member does not come into contact with the contactportion when the first turning member is in a second predeterminedposition, the second turning member can be turned when the first turningmember is in the second predetermined position.

In the hinge according to the third configuration of the presentinvention, in the second configuration, an opposing surface that opposesto the cam member in a direction that intersects orthogonally with aturning direction of the cam member is formed on the contact avoidingportion in a state that the cam member is passed through the contactavoiding portion by turning the second turning member when the firstturning member is in the second predetermined position.

According to this configuration, the turn of the first turning membercan be prevented in a state that the second turning member is turned.

A hinge according to the fourth configuration of the present invention,in any of the first to third configuration, further comprises a clickgenerating means for generating a click when the first turning member isturned toward one end side of the first turning member.

According to this configuration, a click can be produced in the turningoperation of the first turning member with a simple configuration whileavoiding increase in size of the first turning member.

An opening/closing mobile terminal device having the hinge according tothe fifth configuration of the present invention is constructed byproviding the hinge set forth in any one of claims 1 to 4 to theopening/closing mobile terminal device.

According to this configuration, the mobile terminal device which isconvenient in use and in which the hinge portion is reduced in size canbe realized such that the size is made small by closing the housing uponcarrying to improve the portability and the desired operation can beexecuted in use.

An opening/closing mobile terminal device having the hinge according tothe sixth configuration of the present invention, in the fifthconfiguration, further comprises a first housing member for supportingturnably the first turning member; a second housing member onto whichthe second turning member is mounted; and a flexible conductor forconnecting electrically the first housing member and the second housingmember; wherein the flexible conductor is interposed on one end side ofthe first turning member in vicinity of a center axis of a turning shaftof the first turning member in a position that stretches over the firsthousing member and the second housing member.

According to this configuration, the stress generated in the flexibleconductor in the position that stretches over the first housing memberand the second housing member can be reduced or generation of suchstress can be prevented even though the first housing member and thesecond housing member are opened and closed.

In the opening/closing mobile terminal device having the hinge accordingto the seventh configuration of the present invention, in the sixthconfiguration, the flexible conductor is formed of a strip-like flexibleboard, and the flexible board includes a first winding portion almostaround a center axis of a turning shaft of the first turning member onone end side of the first turning member.

According to this configuration, the tension and the loose generated inthe flexible board during the opening/closing can be absorbed by thefirst winding portion. That is, since only the curvature of the firstwinding portion of the flexible board is changed, merely the bendingstress is generated in the flexible board and generation of thetorsional stress can be prevented.

An opening/closing mobile terminal device having the hinge according tothe eighth configuration of the present invention, in the seventhconfiguration, further comprises a cable-like second flexible conductor;wherein the second flexible conductor is passed through the firstwinding portion.

According to this configuration, since the cable-like second flexibleconductor is arranged in an inner empty space of the first windingportion, the friction between the flexible board and the second flexibleconductor can be avoided while avoiding the tension and the loose of thesecond flexible conductor. Also, since the cable with small loss is usedas the connection parts to connect the antenna and the radio circuitportion, reduction in the antenna gain can be avoided.

In the opening/closing mobile terminal device having the hinge accordingto the ninth configuration of the present invention, in the seventh oreighth configuration, the flexible board includes a second windingportion almost around a center axis of a turning shaft of the secondturning member.

According to this configuration, the tension and the loose of theflexible board generated during the turn of the second turning membercan be absorbed by the second winding portion.

In the opening/closing mobile terminal device having the hinge accordingto the tenth configuration of the present invention, in the sixthconfiguration, the flexible conductor is formed of a cable.

According to this configuration, since the cable is arranged at a centeraxis of the turning shaft of the first turning member, the tension andthe loose of the cable can be avoided.

Also, there is provided a opening/closing mobile terminal device havinga hinge which comprises a hinge portion for coupling foldably the firsthousing member and the second housing member; and a flexible board and acable for connecting electrically the first housing member and thesecond housing member; wherein a winding portion is formed by theflexible board on one side of the hinge portion with a center axis ofthe turning shaft of the hinge portion as an almost center, and thecable is passed through the winding portion.

According to this configuration, since the cable is arranged in an innerempty space of the winding portion, the friction between the flexibleboard and the cable can be avoided while avoiding the tension and theloose of the cable. Also, since the cable with small loss is used as theconnection parts to connect the antenna and the radio circuit portion,reduction in the antenna gain can be avoided.

An opening/closing mobile terminal device having the hinge according tothe eleventh configuration of the present invention, in any one of thesixth to tenth configurations, further comprises a camera portionprovided on an opposing surface of other housing member opposing to onehousing member when the first housing member and the second housingmember are closed; a first display portion provided adjacent to thecamera portion to display an image picked up by the camera portion; anda second display portion provided to an opposite surface on an oppositeside to the opposing surface to display the image picked up by thecamera portion; wherein the image picked up by the camera portion isdisplayed on the first display portion when the other housing member isdirected in a first direction in a state that the first housing memberand the second housing member are opened, and the image on the firstdisplay portion is erased and the image picked up by the camera portionis displayed on the second display portion when the other housing memberis directed in a second direction on an opposite side to the firstdirection.

According to this configuration, when the device is directed in thefirst direction, the subject himself or herself to whom the camera isdirected can look at the picked-up image displayed on the first displayportion to monitor the image picked-up situation. Also, when the deviceis directed in the second direction (when the camera portion picks upthe image of the subject in the foreground of the user), the firstdisplay portion directed to the subject side is brought into itsnon-display state to prevent the situation that the picked-up image islooked into by the subject or the third person, and also the user canmonitor the image picked-up situation by looking at the picked-up imagedisplayed on the second displaying portion directed to the user.

Also, there is provided a opening/closing mobile terminal device havinga hinge which comprises a hinge portion for coupling the first housingmember and the second housing member to open/close mutually such thatthe other housing member is coupled with one housing member turnably ina direction intersecting orthogonally with an opening/closing directionwhen the first housing member and the second housing member are opened;a camera portion provided on an opposing surface of other housing memberopposing to one housing member when the first housing member and thesecond housing member are closed; a first display portion providedadjacent to the camera portion to display an image picked up by thecamera portion; and a second display portion provided to an oppositesurface on an opposite side to the opposing surface to display the imagepicked up by the camera portion; wherein the image picked up by thecamera portion is displayed on the first display portion when the otherhousing member is directed in a first direction in a state that thefirst housing member and the second housing member are opened, and theimage on the first display portion is erased and the image picked up bythe camera portion is displayed on the second display portion when theother housing member is directed in a second direction on an oppositeside to the first direction.

According to this configuration, when the device is directed in thefirst direction, the subject himself or herself to whom the camera isdirected can look at the picked-up image displayed on the first displayportion to monitor the image picked-up situation. Also, when the deviceis directed in the second direction (when the camera portion picks upthe image of the subject in the foreground of the user), the firstdisplay portion directed to the subject side is brought into itsnon-display state to prevent the situation that the picked-up image islooked into by the subject or the third person, and also the user canmonitor the image picked-up situation by looking at the picked-up imagedisplayed on the second displaying portion directed to the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a closed state of a mobile phoneaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first opened state of the mobilephone according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a second opened state of the mobilephone according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the mobile phone in the state inFIG. 3, viewed from the rear surface side;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a third opened state of the mobilephone according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a fourth opened state of the mobilephone according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a front surface of the mobile phoneaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a longitudinal sectional shape of themobile phone in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of themobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a hinge portion usedin a mobile phone according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the mobile phone according tothe first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a hinge unit used in the mobile phoneaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along a turning shaft of the hingeunit in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge unit in FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of an end portion of a firstguiding member in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is an explanatory view explaining functions of the mobile phoneaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart explaining an operation of the mobile phoneaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 18(A) to (C) are a cam chart showing a relationship between a camand a guiding member of the hinge unit according to the first embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the hinge portion in the third openedstate shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of an end portion of a firstguiding member in a hinge unit according to a second embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 21(A) to (C) are a cam chart showing a relationship between a camand a guiding member of the hinge unit according to the secondembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 22(A) and (B) are a plan view and a side view of a hinge mechanismin the related art; and

FIGS. 23(A) and (B) are a plan view of a flexible printed board throughwhich a hinge portion in the prior art is passed.

In above Figures, a reference numeral 101 is a housing, 101 a firsthousing member, 101 b second housing member, 101 c and 101 d hingeportion, 111 camera portion, 112 first Hall element, 113 second Hallelement, 117 first permanent magnet, 118 second permanent magnet, 119hinge unit, 122 first turning shaft, 123 second turning shaft, 124 firstsupporting plate, 125 second supporting plate, 126 first guiding member,127 second guiding member, 128 first coil spring, 129 first slidingmember, 131 first turning shaft cover, 133 first turning shaft bearing,134 cam, 136 second coil spring, 137 second sliding member, 140 flexibleboard, 141 cable, 144 and 148 concave portion, 147 and 150 through hole,152 a and 152 b groove, 154 a first winding portion, and 154 b secondwinding portion.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be explained with reference tothe drawings hereinafter. Here, as an example of the opening/closingmobile terminal device, the opening/closing mobile phone as one type ofthe mobile terminals will be exemplified. FIG. 1 is a perspective viewshowing a closed state of a mobile phone according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a firstopened state of the mobile phone according to the embodiment of thepresent invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a second openedstate of the mobile phone according to the embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the mobile phone in thestate in FIG. 3, viewed from the rear surface side. FIG. 5 is aperspective view showing a third opened state of the mobile phoneaccording to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a fourth opened state of the mobilephone according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is aplan view showing a front surface of the mobile phone according to theembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a sectional view showinga longitudinal sectional shape of the mobile phone in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 isa block diagram showing a functional configuration of the mobile phoneaccording to the embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 9, a mobile phone as one type of anopening/closing mobile terminal device according to the embodiment ofthe present invention is constructed to have a housing 101 in which afirst housing member 101 a and a second housing member 101 b are coupledto each other via hinge portions 101 c, 101 d to open and close. Thismobile phone includes an antenna 102, a transmitter/receiver portion103, a vibrator portion 104, a first operating portion 105, a secondoperating portion 106, an information recording portion 107, a receiverportion (receiver) 109, a transmitter portion (microphone) 110, a cameraportion 111, a first displaying portion 114, a second displaying portion115, an interface portion 160, and a controlling portion 116, and also acell 108 is put removably into a rear surface of the housing 101 as apower supply. Also, a card slot 107 a is provided to the vicinity of arear hinge portion of the housing 101 as the information recordingportion 107, and an information recording card 120 is inserted into thecard slot 107 a to mount. In addition, a connector 160 a is provided toa top end portion of the housing 101 as the interface portion 160, andan external connector 121 to which an external device is connected isfitted to the connector to execute the transmission/reception of thesignal, etc. Also, a first Hall element 112, a second Hall element 113,a first permanent magnet 117, and a second permanent magnet 118 areprovided to the inside of the housing 101.

As shown in FIG. 9, the transmitter/receiver portion 103 is connected tothe antenna 102, and has a function of executing the transmission andthe reception between this device and an external base station, or thelike via the radio communication. The controlling portion 116 isconnected to the transmitter/receiver portion 103, the vibrator portion104, the first operating portion 105, the second operating portion 106,the information recording portion 107, the receiver portion 109, thetransmitter portion 110, the camera portion 111, the first Hall element112, the second Hall element 113, the first displaying portion 114, andthe second displaying portion 115, and controls operations of respectiveportions, and so forth. Also, the controlling portion 116 is connectedto the cell 108 and receives a power supply from the cell 108 tooperate.

The antenna 102 receives the radio signal and sends out the receivedsignal to the transmitter/receiver portion 103. The transmitter/receiverportion 103 processes the received signal from the antenna 102 toconvert into a speech signal, and feeds the signal to the receiverportion 109. The receiver portion 109 outputs the speech that isreceived in response to the received signal of the speech signal fedfrom the transmitter/receiver portion 103. The transmitter portion 110receives the speech of the speaker to convert into a transmitted signalof the speech signal, and sends out the signal to thetransmitter/receiver portion 103. The transmitter/receiver portion 103processes the transmitted signal sent from the transmitter portion 110and sends out the signal to the antenna 102. The antenna 102 receivesthe transmitted signal from the transmitter/receiver portion 103 andtransmits the signal as the radio signal.

The vibrator portion 104 oscillates in receiving, or the like to informof an event of reception, or the like by vibration. The first operatingportion 105 is constructed to have a plurality of operation buttons andswitches used to input characters, symbols, figures, operation signals,and so on. The second operating portion 106 is constructed to haveoperation buttons and switches used to operate the camera portion 111.The information recording portion 107 can record phone numberinformation, speech information, non-speech information, imageinformation, etc. under control of the controlling portion 116.

The first and second displaying portions 114, 115 are constructed by aliquid crystal display device, and display characters, symbols, figures,images, etc. thereon. The first displaying portion 114 is provided to afirst surface of the first housing member 101 a (a main surface (calledalso a front surface) of the first housing member) exposed when thefirst housing member 101 a and the second housing member 101 b areopened. The second displaying portion 115 is provided to a secondsurface (a sub surface (called also a rear surface) of the first housingmember) of the first housing member 101 a on the opposite side to thefirst surface. The camera portion 111 is provided to the first surfaceof the first housing member 101 a and is arranged to pick up the imagein the foreground of the first displaying portion 114.

The housing 101 consists of two members of the first housing member 101a and the second housing member 101 b. The first and second housingmembers 101 a, 101 b are coupled together via the hinge portion 101 c,in which a hinge unit 119 described later is incorporated, and the hingeportion 101 d, which is formed in the second housing member 101 b tohold the hinge portion 101 c. The first and second housing members 101a, 101 b are coupled together to open/close and turn in a predeterminedposition in the direction perpendicular to the opening/closing directionby the operation of the hinge unit 119. In this case, in the first andsecond housing members 101 a, 101 b, an end portion on the hinge portionside is called a base end and an end portion on the opposite side iscalled a top end.

The mobile phone constructed in this manner is used in a state that thefirst housing member 101 a is closed to oppose next to the secondhousing member 101 b in carrying (shown in FIG. 1). In using (inspeaking, or the like), the mobile phone is used in a state that thefirst housing member 101 a is opened from the second housing member 101b by 90 degree or more (which is called a second opened state, and shownin FIG. 3 and FIG. 4). Also, the first housing member 101 a is turned inthe S direction perpendicular to the opening/closing direction (which iscalled a third opened state, and shown in FIG. 5) from a state that thefirst housing member 101 a is opened from the second housing member 101b up to almost 90 degree (which is called a first opened state, andshown in FIG. 2), otherwise the first housing member 101 a is turned inthe direction opposite to the S direction (which is called a fourthopened state, and shown in FIG. 6) from the first opened state, and themobile phone can also be used in these states.

The first permanent magnet 117 is provided in the inside near the mainsurface in the top end portion of the first housing member 101 a. Also,the first Hall element 112 is provided in the inside near the surface(the main surface of the second housing member) in the top end portionof the second housing member 101 b, which opposes to the main surface ofthe first housing member 101 a when the first housing member 101 a andthe second housing member 101 b are closed. In addition, the second Hallelement 113 is provided in the inside near the main surface in thealmost middle of the base end portion of the second housing member 101b. Also, the second permanent magnet 118 is provided in the inside nearthe surface (the end surface on the base end side) in the base endportion of the first housing member 101 b, which faces to the mainsurface of the second housing member 101 b in the fourth opened state.

Accordingly, since the first permanent magnet 117 comes close to thefirst Hall element 112 when the first housing member 101 a and thesecond housing member 101 b are closed, the first Hall element 112senses a magnetic force from the first permanent magnet 117 to give asensed signal to the controlling portion 116. Also, since the firstpermanent magnet 117 is away from the first Hall element 112 when thefirst housing member 101 a and the second housing member 101 b are inthe opened states (shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 6), the first Hall element112 cannot sense the magnetic force from the first permanent magnet 117and thus the sensed signal is not generated.

Also, since the second permanent magnet 118 is away from the second Hallelement 113 when the first housing member 101 a and the second housingmember 101 b are closed and in any position in the first, second, thirdopened states, the second Hall element 113 cannot sense the magneticforce from the second permanent magnet 118 and thus the sensed signal isnot generated.

In contrast, since the second permanent magnet 118 comes close to thesecond Hall element 113 in the fourth opened state, the second Hallelement 113 senses a magnetic force from the second permanent magnet 118to give a sensed signal to the controlling portion 116.

The controlling portion 116 can recognize opened/closed states andturned states of the first housing member 101 a and the second housingmember 101 b in answer to whether or not such controlling portionreceives the sensed signal from the first, second Hall element 112, 113.

Next, a configuration of the hinge unit 119 will be explained in detailhereunder. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a hingeportion used in a mobile phone according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the mobilephone according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.12 is a perspective view of a hinge unit used in the mobile phoneaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is asectional view taken along a turning shaft of the hinge unit in FIG. 12.FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the hinge unit in FIG. 12.FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of an end portion of a firstguiding member in FIG. 14.

As shown in FIG. 10 to FIG. 15, the hinge unit 119 is constructed tohave a first turning shaft 122, a second turning shaft 123, a firstsupporting plate 124, a second supporting plate 125, a first guidingmember 126, a second guiding member 127, a first coil spring 128, afirst sliding member 129, a first spacer 130, a first turning shaftcover 131, a first turning shaft fixing plate 132, a first turning shaftbearing 133, a cam 134, a second turning shaft fixing plate 135, asecond coil spring 136, a second sliding member 137, a second spacer138, a bracket 139, a flexible board 140, and a cable 141.

The hollow first turning shaft 122 has almost square notched portions142 a, 142 b in upper and lower portions of the center portion. Thefirst supporting plate 125 in which a first supporting hole 143 forsupporting the second turning shaft 123 is formed is fitted to onenotched portion 142 a. The first supporting plate 124 in which a secondsupporting hole 143 to support V-shaped concave portions 144 and thesecond turning shaft 123 is formed is fitted to the other notchedportion 142 b. The rod-like first guiding member 126, the second guidingmember 127 arranged to face to the first guiding member 126, the firstcoil spring 128, the first sliding member 129, the first spacer 130, andthe cam 134 are housed in the inside of the first turning shaft 122, andrespective members are arranged. The first turning shaft cover 131 forsupporting turnably the first guiding member is fixed to one end of thefirst turning shaft 122, then one end of the first guiding member 126 isprotruded to the outside of this cover, and then the first turning shaftfixing plate 132 is fitted to this end portion. Then, the first turningshaft bearing 133 is fitted to the other end of the first turning shaft122.

The cam 134, the second turning shaft fixing plate 135, the second coilspring 136, the second sliding member 137, the second spacer 138, andthe bracket 139 are fitted to the second turning shaft 123 and arranged.Holes 146 through which the bracket is screwed/fixed to the firsthousing member 101 a are formed in the bracket 139.

A through hole 147 is provided to the side portion of the first guidingmember 126 to pass therethrough. The first sliding member 129 that ispassed through the through hole 147 can be slid in the longitudinaldirection (thrust direction) of the first guiding member 126, and isenergized toward the first turning shaft cover 131 side by the firstcoil spring 128 via the first spacer 130. A V-shaped concave portion 148is formed on one surface of the first turning shaft cover 131, and thisconcave portion 148 and the first sliding member 129 engage with eachother (the protruded portion of the first sliding member is fitted intothe V-shaped groove) in the closed state and the first opened state.

A through hole 150 is provided to the side portion of the second turningshaft 123 to pass therethrough. The second sliding member 137 that ispassed through the through hole 150 can be slid in the longitudinaldirection (thrust direction) of the second turning shaft 123, and isenergized toward the second supporting plate 124 side by the second coilspring 136 via the second spacer 138. Two V-shaped concave portions 144that are formed on the second supporting plate 124 to intersectorthogonally with each other engage with the second sliding member 137(the protruded portion of the second sliding member is fitted into theV-shaped grooves) in the closed state and the first, second, third andfourth opened states. Since the engaging surfaces of the first, secondsliding members 129, 137 engaging with respective concave portions 144,148 (top end side surfaces) are formed as a curved surface, contactpoints (contact portions) between the concave portions 144, 148 and theengaging surfaces include a line contact and thus they do not budge aninch (they are not rickety) at the time of engagement.

Also, one terminal of the first guiding member 126 is mounted onto areceiving portion 151 formed in the second housing member 101 b. The cam134 is fixed to the almost center portion of the second turning shaft123. Also, the cam 134 is incorporated into the first turning shaft 122to put between the first and second guiding members 126, 127. A groove152 a through which the cam 134 that is turned together with the secondturning shaft 123 is turned/passed when the first housing member 101 ais turned in the S direction from a state that the housing 101 is in thefirst opened state is formed on the other end of the first guidingmember 126. Also, a groove 152 b through which the cam 134 that isturned together with the second turning shaft 123 is turned/passed whenthe first housing member 101 a is turned in the direction opposite tothe S direction from a state that the housing 101 is in the first openedstate is formed on the second guiding member 127.

The hollow first turning shaft bearing 133 has first and second slits153 a, 153 b and is provided to stretch over the hinge portions 101 c,101 d of the first housing member 101 a and the second housing member101 b. The first slit 153 a is directed to the second housing member 101b side, and the second slit 153 b is directed to the first housingmember 101 a side.

The flexible board 140 has a wiring pattern that connects electricallythe first housing member 101 a and the second housing member 101 b, andboth ends of a crank portion 140 a consisting of an L-shape corner andan inverse L-shape corner are folded gently like an almost L-shape, whenviewed from the side direction. In this case, although the crank portionis formed of the L-shape corner and the inverse L-shape corner, suchcrank portion may be formed like a

-shape, and the shape is not limited to this. One end of this flexibleboard 140 is wound around the first turning shaft bearing 133 in thehinge portion 101 d of the second housing member 101 b to form a firstwinding portion 154 a. The other end of this flexible board 140 isextended to the second slit 153 b side to pass through the first turningshaft bearing 133 from the first slit 153 a and wound around the secondspacer 138 to form a second winding portion 154 b. Then, the other endof the second winding portion 154 b side is connected to an electriccircuit in the first housing member 101 a. In other words, one end ofthe flexible board 140 goes out of the first slit 153 a to form thefirst winding portion 154 a, and the other end goes out of the secondslit 153 b to from the second winding portion 154 b, and the crankportion 140 a is installed into the first turning shaft bearing 133.

The cable 141 connects electrically the antenna 102 provided to thefirst housing member 101 a and the transmitter/receiver portion 103provided in the second housing member 101 b. The cable 141 is passedthrough the first turning shaft bearing 133 from the end portion of thefirst turning shaft bearing 133, and is extended to the first housingmember 101 a side to pass through the second winding portion 154 b ofthe flexible board 140 from the second slit 153 b, and is connected tothe antenna 102.

Next, an operation of the mobile phone of the embodiment of the presentinvention will be explained with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 15 as wellas FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 hereunder. FIG. 16 is an explanatory viewexplaining functions of the mobile phone according to the embodiment ofthe present invention. FIG. 17 is a flowchart explaining an operation ofthe mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention.

An operation is started in a speech communication mode in the situationthat a power supply of the mobile information phone is turned ON. Then,the user carries out a mode switching by operating the first operatingportion 105 (executing a predetermined mode switching operation), andcan executes respective functional operations in a non-speechcommunication mode or a camera-mode.

In the speech communication mode, functions of receiving TEL,transmitting TEL, and receiving the mail are provided. In other words,the user starts a reception waiting operation for the speech andnon-speech, and transmits/receives the speech signal by executing theterminating operation or the originating operation of the speech voice,and can talk with the other party of communication. Also, mail data canbe received in the reception waiting operation.

In the non-speech communication mode, functions of receiving TEL,receiving the mail, displaying the text/image, and transmitting the mailare provided. In other words, the user cause the first displayingportion 114 to display text information input from the first operatingportion 105 while keeping the reception waiting state, and can transmitthem to the other party of communication by using the transmittingfunction. Also, when received the text information or the imageinformation, the user can display the message informing such receptionon the first displaying portion 114 and the second displaying portion115 and also can display the text information or the image informationon the first displaying portion 114 and the second displaying portion115. In this case, in order to define the transmission destination whenthe speech communication or the non-speech communication is executed,the transmission destination may be chosen and defined by using thephone book function.

In the camera mode, functions of receiving TEL, receiving the mail,picking up the moving picture/still picture, and recording/reading theimage are provided. In other words, the user can pick up the image ofthe subject by a lens and a photoelectric conversion element (imagingmeans) in the camera portion 111 while maintaining the reception waitingstate. At this time, the user can display the image informationprojected on the photoelectric conversion element by the lens on thefirst displaying portion 114 or the second displaying portion 115, andcan store and read the picked-up image information into and from theinformation recording portion 107.

As shown in a flowchart in FIG. 17, when the power supply is turned ON,the device is brought into a reception waiting state (step ST801). Then,the controlling portion 116 determines whether or not the housing 101 isopened, based on whether or not the sensed signal from the first Hallelement 112 is present (step ST802). If the housing 101 is opened, thecontrolling portion displays information of a mark indicating anelectric field strength, a remaining capacity of the cell, a time, etc.on the first displaying portion 114 (step ST803). In contrast, if thehousing 101 is closed, the controlling portion displays information of amark indicating an electric field strength, a remaining capacity of thecell, a time, etc. on the second displaying portion 115 (step ST804).

Then, in order to start the imaging by the camera portion 111, thecontrolling portion 116 determines whether or not the mode is switchedinto the camera mode by operating the first operating portion 105 andthe imaging starting operation is executed in the situation that thehousing 101 is opened (step ST805). If the imaging starting operation isexecuted in step ST805, the controlling portion 116 determines whetheror not the first housing member 101 a was turned on the opposite side tothe S direction, i.e., the first housing member is in the fourth openedstate, based on whether or not the sensed signal from the second Hallelement 113 is present (step ST806). In contrast, if the imagingstarting operation is not executed in step ST805, the process goes backto step ST801.

In step ST806, if the first housing member 101 a was not turned on theopposite side to the S direction and is in any one of the first, second,and third opened states, the controlling portion displays the imageinformation picked up by the camera portion 111 on the first displayingportion 114 (step ST807). In contrast, in step ST806, if the firsthousing member 101 a was turned on the opposite direction to the Sdirection and is in the fourth opened state, the controlling portiondisplays the image information picked up and generated by the cameraportion 111 on the second displaying portion 115 (step ST808).

After step ST807 or step ST808, the controlling portion 116 determineswhether or not the second operating portion 106 was operated to recordthe picked-up image (step ST809). If the second operating portion 106was operated in step ST809, the controlling portion records thepicked-up image in the information recording portion 107 (step ST810).If the second operating portion 106 was not operated in step ST809 andafter step ST809, the controlling portion 116 determines whether or notthe imaging ending operation was made by the operation of the firstoperating portion 105 to end the imaging (step ST811).

In step ST811, if the imaging ending operation was not made by the firstoperating portion 105, the process goes back to step ST806. In contrast,if the imaging ending operation was not made in step ST811, thecontrolling portion ends the imaging (step ST812) and the process goesback to step ST801. The first operating portion 105 has functions ofcausing the camera portion 111 to start the imaging when it accepts apredetermined operation in the reception waiting state, and causing thecamera portion 111 to end its operation when it accepts the operation inthe situation that the camera portion 111 is being operated. The secondoperating portion 106 has functions of recording/storing the picked-upimage in the information recording portion 107 when it accepts theoperation in the situation that the imaging made by the camera portion111 is being started.

Next, a turning operation of the housing will be explained in detailhereunder.

Even if the mobile phone is in any state of the closed state of thehousing 101 and the first to fourth opened states, such mobile phoneenters into the reception waiting state whenever the power supply isturned ON. Also, the imaging by the camera portion 111 is available inany state of the first to fourth opened states.

When the housing 101 is opened from the closed state, the hinge unit 119is turned on a center axis of the first turning shaft 122 while thefirst guiding member 126 mounted to the second housing member 101 b isnot turned yet. At this time, the first sliding member 129 gets out ofthe concave portion 148 on the first turning shaft cover 131 to breakoff the engagement and generates a click. When the first housing member101 a and the second housing member 101 b are continued to open up toabout 170 degree, the first sliding member 129 enters into theengagement with the concave portion 148 on the first turning shaft cover131 and generates a click.

At this time, the number of turn of the first winding portion 154 a ofthe flexible board 140 is reduced because the first turning shaftbearing 133 that is turned together with the first turning shaft 122 isturned or is reduced because a winding curvature is expanded, and alsothe bending stress generated in the flexible board is reduced. Since thecable 141 is arranged to coincide substantially with a center axis ofthe first turning shaft 122, change of the bending stress is seldomgenerated and only the torsional stress is generated. When the housing101 is closed from its opened state, the operations taken to open thehousing from the above closed state are carried out inversely.

Now, a relationship between the cam and the guiding member in the hingeportion will be explained with reference to the drawings hereunder.FIGS. 18(A) to (C) are a cam chart showing a relationship between thecam and the guiding member of the hinge unit according to the firstembodiment of the present invention.

The cam 134 has an almost elliptic shape whose radii of curvatures atboth ends are different. The first guiding member 126 is arranged on theleft side of the cam 134, while the second guiding member 127 isarranged on the right side. In FIG. 18(A), the cam 134 in the upperstage shows the position when the housing 101 is closed, the cam 134 inthe middle stage shows the position when the housing 101 is in the firstopened state, and the cam 134 in the lower stage shows the position whenthe housing 101 is in the second opened state. Since the cam 134 issurrounded with the first and second guiding members 126, 127 in thestate that the housing 101 is closed shown in the lower stage, the cam134 and the first housing members 101 a are forced not to turn on thesecond turning shaft 123. Also, since the cam 134 is put between thegrooves 152 a, 152 b of the first and second guiding members 126, 127 inthe state that the housing 101 is in the first opened state shown in themiddle stage, the cam 134 and the first housing member 101 a can turn onthe second turning shaft 123 in the S direction or the oppositedirection to the S direction.

Also, FIG. 18(B) shows the position of the cam 134 when the housing 101is in the third opened state, and FIG. 18(C) shows the position of thecam 134 when the housing 101 is in the fourth opened state. The cam 134takes the third opened state when it is turned from the first openedstate in the S direction. Also, the cam 134 takes the fourth openedstate when it is turned in the opposite direction to the S direction.The grooves 152 a, 152 b of the first and second guiding members 126,127 restrict the turn of the cam even when the cam tries to continuefurther its turn from the third and fourth opened states. That is, thecam 134 comes into contact with the groove 152 a or 152 b of the firstguiding member 126 or the second guiding member 127 and its turn issuppressed.

Also, when the first housing members 101 a is being turned from thefirst opened state in any direction of the S direction and the oppositedirection to the S direction, the cam 134 is guided along the grooves152 a, 152 b and thus cannot be moved in the vertical direction in FIGS.18(A) to (C), i.e., in the direction along which the first housingmembers 101 a is opened/closed. In this case, the structure forrestricting the movement of the cam in the vertical direction isrealized by setting a clearance between the first guiding member 126 andthe second guiding member 127 larger than the minor axis of the cam 134but smaller than the major axis and then putting the cam 134 turnablybetween the grooves 152 a, 152 b that oppose to each other.

Also, when the housing 101 is going to be opened from the first openedstate to the second opened state, the cam 134 and the first housingmember 101 a are brought into the state that they cannot turn on thesecond turning shaft 123 since the cam 134 is surrounded with the firstand second guiding members 126, 127, like the closed state. In thisstate, the first turning shaft 122 is turned to open/close the firsthousing member 101 a.

That is, the second turning shaft 123 cannot turn in the closed stateand the second opened state. Also, the second turning shaft 123 can turnin the first opened state, but the first turning shaft 122 cannot turnif the second turning shaft 123 is turning in the first opened state.

Also, when the first housing member 101 a is turned from the firstopened state in the S direction, the cam 134 enters into the groove 152a of the first guiding member 126 to produce the third opened state. Atthis time, the second sliding member 137 gets out of the concave portion144 on the second supporting plate 124 and generates a click, and thenengages with the concave portion 144 once again in the third openedstate and generates a click. When the first housing member 101 a isturned from the first opened state in the opposite direction to the Sdirection, the cam 134 enters into the groove 152 b of the secondguiding member 127 to produce the fourth opened state. At this time, thesecond sliding member 137 gets out of the concave portion 144 on thesecond supporting plate 124 and generates a click, and then engages withthe concave portion 144 once again in the fourth opened state andgenerates a click. When the first housing member 101 a is turnedinversely from the third or fourth opened state to the first openedstate, the second sliding member 137 engages with the concave portion144 on the second supporting plate 124 and generates a click.

At this time, the number of turn of the second winding portion 154 b ofthe flexible board 140 is increased/decreased by an amount of turn ofthe second turning shaft. Since the flexible board 140 merelyincrease/decrease the number of turn, only the bending stress of theflexible board 140 is increased/decreased and no torsional stress isgenerated. The cable 141 is twisted by an amount of turn of the secondturning shaft 123 and then screwed on the second turning shaft 123. Inthis case, since the second turning shaft 123 is smaller in diameterthan the first turning shaft 122, a radius of turn of the screwedportion is small and thus generation of the large bending stress can beavoided. FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the hinge portion in the thirdopened state shown in FIG. 5, and shows a mode of the above cable 141.

In other words, since the flexible board 140 includes the first andsecond winding portions 154 a, 154 b around center axes of the first andsecond turning shafts 122, 123 respectively, only curvatures of thefirst and second winding portions 154 a, 154 b are changed even when thefirst and second turning shafts 122, 123 are turned. For this reason,tension and deflection generated in the flexible board 140 at time ofturning are absorbed by the winding portions 154 a, 154 b and thereforeonly the bending stress is changed and generation of the torsionalstress can be avoided. As a result, disconnection and breakage of thewirings in the flexible board 140 can be prevented.

In the present embodiment, explanation is made of the case where thesecond turning shaft is formed of a solid shaft. The stress generated inthe cable upon turning the second turning shaft can be further reducedif the second turning shaft is formed of a hollow shaft like the firstturning shaft. More particularly, a coupling space can be formed in theinside of the first turning shaft and the inside of the second turningshaft if an opening is provided in a cylindrical surface of the hollowsecond turning shaft and then this opening is arranged in the firstturning shaft. The cable is arranged in the vicinity of center axes ofthe first and second turning shafts when the cable is passed throughthis coupling space. Therefore, since no bending stress is applied tothe cable and only the torsional stress is generated even when the firstand second turning shafts are turned, the design can be applied to takeaccount of the torsional stress only.

Also, in the case where the cable is wound around the first turningshaft bearing, the disconnection caused by opening/closing the housingcan be avoided but a length of the cable is prolonged when the structurefor preventing generation of the torsional stress in the cable togenerate only the bending stress is employed. Thus, a loss is increasedand as a result an antenna gain is lowered, etc., such structure is notsuited for the radio device having the antenna. Therefore, like thepresent embodiment, in the case where the structure in which the windingportions are formed of the flexible board and then the cable is passedthrough the winding portions is employed, the coaxial cable with smallloss, or the like can be used as the connecting parts to connect theantenna and the radio circuit portion, and also generation of tension orloose of the cable can be prevented. As a result, because there is noneed to keep an necessary extra length, the antenna gain can be improvedby shortening the length of the cable, etc., so that such structure issuited for the opening/closing mobile terminal device. In this case, thenumber of turn of the winding portion is set arbitrarily. For example,the number of turn, which does not form the winding portion in thesecond opened state but forms the winding portion when the housing isclosed, may be set.

Here, the example in using the mobile phone of the present embodimentwill be explained hereunder. In the second opened state, the user canspeak by putting the receiver portion 109 close to the ear, or canexecute the video phone or the hands-free talking. Also, in the thirdopened state, the image of the user himself or herself is picked up anddisplayed on the first displaying portion 114 when the user grasps thedevice to direct the second operating portion 106 to the user side.Thus, the user can check the picked-up image by the first displayingportion 114.

Also, in the fourth opened state, the picked-up image is displayed onthe second displaying portion 115 that is directed to the user when theuser grasps the device to direct the second operating portion 106 to theuser side. In this case, the user can pick up the image while checkingthe scenery or the portrait in the foreground of the user by the seconddisplaying portion 115. At this time, because the picked-up image is notdisplayed on the first displaying portion 114, the subject side cannotsee or looks into the picked-up image but the user can check thepicked-up condition by the image displayed on the second displayingportion 115. Here, in order to make it possible for the subject itselfto check the picked-up image, for example, the setting of the device maybe changed by operating the first operating portion to display thepicked-up image on both the first and second displaying portions in thefourth opened state.

Next, a second embodiment of a mobile phone according to the presentinvention will be explained hereunder. This second embodiment isdifferent from the above first embodiment in the turning direction andthe turning angle of the second turning shaft in the hinge portion.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged perspective view of an end portion of a firstguiding member in a hinge unit according to a second embodiment of thepresent invention. FIGS. 21(A) to (C) are a cam chart showing arelationship between a cam and a guiding member of the hinge unitaccording to the second embodiment of the present invention. The secondturning shaft in the hinge unit of the second embodiment can be turnedfrom the second opened state only in the S direction by 180 degree. Inthis second embodiment, the groove 152 b is not provided to the secondguiding member 127 unlike the first embodiment, and the groove 152 a isformed on the end portion of the first guiding member 126 to passtherethrough. Shapes and configurations of other members are similar tothose in the first embodiment, and their detailed explanation will beomitted herein.

Next, a turning operation of the housing in the second embodiment willbe explained hereunder.

In FIG. 21(A), the lower stage shows the position of the cam 134 whenthe housing is closed, the middle stage shows the position of the cam134 when the housing is in the first opened state, and the upper stageshows the position of the cam 134 when the housing is in the secondopened state. Since the first guiding member 126 is arranged on the leftside of the cam 134 the second guiding member 127 is arranged on theright side in the closed state and the second opened state, the cam 134and the first housing member 101 a cannot turn. Also, since the groove152 a of the first guiding member 126 is positioned on the left side ofthe cam 134 in the first opened state, the cam 134 and the first housingmember 101 a can turn in the S direction by 180 degree. Where a statethat the first housing member 101 a is turned from the first openedstate by 180 degree is called a fifth opened state.

FIG. 21(B) shows the position of the cam 134 when the housing is in thethird opened state. Also, in FIG. 21(C), the middle stage shows theposition of the cam 134 when the housing is in the fifth opened state,the upper stage shows the position of the cam 134 when the housing isturned from the fifth opened state to the second opened state, and thelower stage shows the position of the cam 134 when the housing is turnedfrom the fifth opened state to the closed state. Since the cam 134 isguided by the groove 152 a when the cam 134 is turned from the firstopened state by 180 degree or less (containing the third opened state),the mode of such cam 134 cannot be changed into the closed state or thesecond opened state. In contrast, when the cam 134 is in the fifthopened state after such cam 134 is turned from the first opened state by180 degree, the mode of such cam 134 can be changed into the closedstate or the second opened state.

In other words, in the second embodiment, the housing can be closed insuch a manner that the second displaying portion 115 is hidden on theinner side while the first displaying portion 114 is exposed to theouter side.

According to the configuration of the second embodiment, the user canclose the housing to either expose or conceal the first displayingportion 114. Therefore, the hinge that permits the first housing memberto turn inside out and permits the first housing member to close whilereversing the first housing member can be implemented with a simpleconfiguration. The second embodiment is suited for the case where theuser wants to look at immediately various information such as thereceived image, mail, etc. not to open the housing, and others.

According to the configuration of the above present embodiment, since aturning angle of the second turning shaft can be restricted by thefirst, second guiding members provided in the vicinity of the turningcenter of the first turning shaft, the miniaturization of the hingeportion can be achieved. Also, since the first turning shaft isprevented from being turned when the second turning shaft is beingturned in the first opened state (when the cam 134 is guided by thegroove 152 a), the configuration that is capable of avoiding the eventthat the edge portion of the first housing member on the hinge sidecomes into contact with the main surface of the second housing memberand capable of not providing the traces on the main surface of thesecond housing member by the first housing member even when the housingis operated in error can be realized with a simple configuration. Inaddition, since the click is generated by a simple configuration uponturning the first, second turning shafts, the user can be easilyinformed of the start and the end of turning and the operability can beimproved. Also, since generation of the torsional stress can be avoidedand only the bending stress is generated in the flexible board, thestress generation condition becomes simple. In the case where the designis applied to take account of the life, only the bending stress shouldbe considered and thus the design is facilitated in the presentembodiment in which only the bending stress is generated in comparisonwith the case where various stresses are generated by theopening/closing the housing. Also, when the image is picked up by thecamera portion of the device using this hinge portion, the picked-upimage can be displayed on the first or second displaying portionaccording to the application situation and also the picked-up image canbe prevented from being looked into by the third person.

The present invention is explained in detail with reference toparticular embodiments. It is apparent for the person skilled in the artthat various variations and modifications can be applied withoutdeparting from a spirit and a scope of the present invention.

This application is filed based on Japanese Patent Application (PatentApplication No. 2002-76573) filed on Mar. 19, 2002, and the contents areincorporated as the reference herein.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, according to the present invention, a radius of turnof the turning shaft in the hinge portion can be reduced and theminiaturization can be achieved. Also, the configuration in which onlythe bending stress is generated in the flexible printed board providedin the hinge portion not to generate the torsional stress can berealized and the reduction in size can be attained.

1. A hinge comprising: a first rotating member having a firstlongitudinal rotating axis around which it rotates; a second rotatingmember intersecting with the first rotating member and having a secondlongitudinal rotating axis around which it rotates; and a rotatingrestricting member for restricting a rotating angle, a rotatingdirection, or a rotating position of the second rotating member, whereinthe rotating restricting member is arranged in vicinity of a center axisof a rotating shaft of the first rotating member; wherein the secondrotating member rotates around the first longitudinal rotating axis asthe first rotating member rotates; and wherein the first longitudinalrotating axis intersects perpendicularly with the second longitudinalrotating axis.
 2. The hinge according to claim 1, wherein the rotatingrestricting member includes a cam member provided to rotate togetherwith the second rotating member, and a guiding member provided adjacentto the cam member, and wherein the guiding member includes a contactportion that comes into contact with the cam member when the secondrotating member is rotated in a state that the first rotating member isin a first predetermined position, and a contact avoiding portion thatavoids a contact with the cam member when the second rotating member isrotated in a state that the first rotating member is in a secondpredetermined position.
 3. The hinge according to claim 2, wherein thecontact avoiding portion has an opposing surface that opposes to the cammember in a direction that intersects orthogonally with a rotatingdirection of the cam member in a state that the cam member is passedthrough the contact avoiding portion by rotating the second rotatingmember when the first rotating member is in the second predeterminedposition.
 4. The hinge according to claim 1, further comprising: a clickgenerating member for generating a click feeling when the first rotatingmember is rotated toward one end side of the first rotating member. 5.An opening/closing mobile terminal device having the hinge according toclaim 1.